


We’re running on lost time (You were the one)

by sapphicmyoui



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Implied Sexual Content, anyway i was feeling angsty so here's some angst, but it's soft, i just really liked this black mirror episode, inspired by hang the dj, when are jeonghyo not soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 19:30:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17065727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicmyoui/pseuds/sapphicmyoui
Summary: The one where Jihyo thought they only had 12 hours.





	We’re running on lost time (You were the one)

**Author's Note:**

> sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes!

The disc in her hand was cold, which really contrasted the mood of the whole situation. Her palms were sweaty, and she cursed at her poor choice of clothing. If she’d known she would be this nervous, maybe she wouldn’t have put on that cute coat Sana suggested.

 

_“You have to look cute Jihyo! How else do you suppose she’s going to fall for you?” Sana’s hands pulled item after item out of Jihyo’s closet. Her bed was littered with rejected outfits, the hangers all lying across the carpeted floor. She makes her way over to pick up one of the shirts that was at the bottom of the pile, when Sana screams, tearing another hanger of the rack._

_“This one!” She shoves it into Jihyo’s arms, knocking the younger girl back into the desk. “It’s such a you look! Why have you never worn it before?”_

_“I’ll have you know that I’ve worn it, once, I think.” Jihyo’s voice lowers at the end of the sentence, shrinking even more at the glare Sana throws her way._

_“Put it on. You’re wearing this and if you don’t, I’m going to be very offended.” Jihyo was almost intimidated. Almost. Sana’s lips curved into a smile, and she leaped forward, wrapping Jihyo in a hug, before patting her head and leaving to give the younger some privacy._

Her uber driver wasn’t helping either. The air con was switched to heating, and the windows were rolled all the way up. Jihyo decided that she probably won’t take the coat off for the date, figuring that her underarms might be a little… damp.

 

“Here’s the stop ma’am, that’ll be twenty-five dollars.” Jihyo’s hand shoots out to the front, throwing the cash into the man’s hand, and mumbling a quick “keep the change” before opening the car door into the fresh autumn air.

 

The building looms over her, it’s lights covering the side walk in a warm orange hue. Couples enter and leave the building, at least Jihyo assumes so by the way they latch onto each other. A young pair walk out the main doors, hands intertwined as though they’re sewn together. Jihyo watches as they get into separate cars.

 

“Oh.” Jihyo feels her heart drop. Maybe they weren’t meant to be.

 

A car’s honk pulls her from her reverie, and her eyes snap to the entrance once again.

 

“Here we go Jihyo, you got this. It’s one date, what’s the worst that could happen?”

 

* * *

 

 

The exterior of the building gave no indication to the size of the small restaurant Jihyo walked into. She was expecting some grand venue, with gold rimmed wine glasses, and waiters who were draped with silk. What she didn’t expect was a little café, filled with gorgeous men and women. She maneuvered through the thick crowd, the little disc in her hand instructing her on which table to seat herself.

 

 _“The red booth to your left, Ms. Jihyo. Your date is waiting.”_ Jihyo put the white disc into her pocket, and blinked hard, before looking towards the table. Her breath catches.

 

A black-haired beauty sits there, fingers loosely wrapped around a glass of wine. Her eyes reflect the colour of her hair, dark and enamouring, drawing Jihyo in. The neon purple lights in the venue dance across her face, lighting up her features in the most calming of hues. Jihyo can’t bring herself to move, she’s frozen solid.

 

The girl notices a presence, and her eyes focus on Jihyo. The lack of worry on the girl’s face relaxes Jihyo a little. Maybe she shouldn’t be as nervous as she is.

 

The girl gets closer and Jihyo’s heartbeat becomes clearly distinguishable in her own ears, the pounding of its beat over taking the music. Jihyo runs a hand through her own hair, coming to stop at the base of her neck.

 

“Hi, I’m Jeongyeon.” The girls smile lights up her whole face, eyes crinkling at the corners. Jihyo finds it contagious, and feels her own face stretch to accommodate her grin.

_Reply, Jihyo._

“Jihyo! Nice to meet you, Jeongyeon.” The girl’s name rolls off her tongue. Jihyo quite likes it.

 

The girl, Jeongyeon, gestures for them to sit. Sliding into the red-velvet booth, Jihyo places the white disc onto the table, noticing how Jeongyeon does the same.

 

“This is my fir-“

 

“I’ve never been o-“

 

They both chuckle, and Jeongyeon raises her hands, indicating for Jihyo to go first. The smile that paints both their faces, Jihyo thinks it won’t disappear anytime soon.

 

“This is my first time on the _system._ ” She wrings her fingers together, leaning forward on her elbows. Jeongyeon smiles, leaning in towards Jihyo.

 

“Me too. I was kind of worried, if I’m being honest.” Jihyo catches the hint of worry that paints the girl’s dark eyes, a clear reflection of her own. “But the reviews were quite outstanding, so I thought it’d be worth a shot. Any reason to why you decided?”

 

Jihyo’s heart hurts again.

 

“I was in a relationship for a while actually, six years. But she,” Jihyo paused, the memory of broken mugs and slammed doors all to vivid in her mind. “She decided that maybe we weren’t the best solution, and who was I to stop her?” She laughs, although it sounds anything but happy. She looks up, expecting Jeongyeon to be cringing at the sad girl in front of her, but instead meets curious eyes and a small smile.

 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Her hand shoots out and covers Jihyo. Jihyo swears that it might be the softest thing she’s ever felt. “You put your heart into that relationship from start to finish, that’s what matters.” The smile returns to Jihyo’s face, and she wants to lean across and kiss the other girl so badly, but she knows it wouldn’t be appropriate.

 

“Besides, we wouldn’t have met if that hadn’t happened.” The girl’s cheeky grin decorates her face, cheeks puffing out. “I couldn’t bear to miss out on seeing you.” Jihyo fights the urge to roll her eyes.

 

The disc on the table lights up, an indication that both Jeongyeon’s and hers have calibrated to each other.

 

“Oh, speaking of relationships, should we check out our expiry date?” Jihyo’s hands dance across the surface of the flat object. Jeongyeon reaches out with another blinding smile, bringing their devices together. The screen lights up orange, the words _Tap simultaneously_ written in block font.

 

“I guess we have to press it at the same time then?” Their hands meet each other again for the nth time this night. “Here goes.” Jihyo’s thumb presses lightly against the smooth surface.

 

_12 hours._

She feels her heart hurt again, but this time it’s worse. It spreads through her body, wrapping around her veins like ice. She feels cold for the first time that evening.

 

“Bit short isn’t it?” Jeongyeon laughs. Her eyes don’t match the emotion her voice holds, their brown seems to be drowning Jihyo’s image.

 

“Yeah,” she croaks out. “A bit, I reckon.” She shakes her head of the thoughts out, staring down at the plate of food that seemed to have arrived during their conversation. “We better eat this quick then huh?”

 

Jeongyeon nods and picks up her fork.

 

* * *

 

“You know, I’ve never been to the beach this late at night.” Jeongyeon’s gaze hovers over the waves, them hitting the sore at an antagonizing pace. “Mum always said that it wasn’t safe, high tide and all that.”

 

Jihyo nods, looking up at the older girl. They’d finished their meal quickly after being informed of their, short, time. The race to make the most of the night must’ve hit them both hard, as Jihyo swore Jeongyeon didn’t even look at the bill before paying.

 

Jihyo had wrapped her hands around the older girl’s and dragged her to the beach, figuring the waves could calm their frantic hearts.

 

(She was wrong.)

 

“I always came here when I was younger.” She started, and Jeongyeon turned towards the smaller girl, her eyes lighting up with curiosity once again. “My sister and I would sneak out through our bedroom window and run down the road to sit amongst the sand.” The vivid memories painted the forefront of her mind again, and she blinked back tears. The grip on her hand got stronger, and Jihyo was thankful that Jeongyeon didn’t use her words to comfort her. “When mum and dad used to fight, we couldn’t handle the shouting and screaming. We needed somewhere to escape. This seemed to be it.”

 

They’d come to a stop, toes dug into the sand, watching the waves with mournful looks. The smell of salt filled the air, and the ocean’s loud roar deafened her ears.

 

“I never came her because I thought the crabs would bite my feet.” Jeongyeon whispers.

 

And Jihyo laughs. She belts it out like there wasn’t anyone listening (there wasn’t), and she doesn’t stop until she’s lying down in the sand, clutching at her stomach. Her eyes are brimming with tears and she doesn’t know why she finds it so funny, she really doesn’t.

 

But then Jeongyeon’s there, lying down next to her, with an equally as amused look on her face, staring up at the constellations.

 

And Jihyo forgets.

 

Forgets that she just met this girl two hours ago. Forgets that they’ve got only ten hours left.

 

(It feels as though she’s known this girl her whole life.)

 

“What’s your favourite constellation?” Jeongyeon’s question brings Jihyo back to her senses, and she turns towards the other girl for the nth time that night. Jeongyeon’s eyes are reflecting the lights in the sky, and Jihyo decides that maybe Jeongyeon has the most beautiful eyes she’s ever seen.

 

“Sirius minor.” Jihyo faintly remembers Mina muttering something about that constellation.

 

Jeongyeon looks at Jihyo incredulously. Her eyebrows are knotted together, and they’re creating a cute little wrinkle in between them that Jihyo just wants to kiss away.

 

“You know that could be _any_ two stars, right? It’s almost impossible to find.” Oh, no wonder Mina looked so sullen.

 

“If I’m being completely honest, I had no clue what that is.” Jihyo turns back to the sky, “My friend was just talking about it and I remembered.” She hears Jeongyeon chuckle, and tuck closer to Jihyo.

 

“I hate sand, you know?” Jeongyeon whispers into Jihyo’s shoulder. “We should go, shouldn’t we?” The older girl sits up, dusting the sand of her back. “Your place or mine?”

 

“Up to you.” Jihyo raises her hands.

 

* * *

 

Jihyo wakes up the next morning, on a bed that is too big to be her own, with sunlight streaming through a window that was too open for this time in the morning. The soft sheets enveloped her body, and Jihyo wanted to do nothing more than sink further into their embrace and allow sleep to find her once again.

 

What she did instead, was bolt upright, and fling the covers off her body. Dressing herself, she frantically makes her way towards the bedroom door, tearing it open before squinting at the brighter lights coming from the kitchen. The sound of fire heating up the oil on a frying pan, the smell of freshly cooked bacon and pancakes, and the steam of coffee drifting from the top of a small machine, does nothing but make Jihyo’s stomach growl. The tired girl walks her way towards the countertop, where Jeongyeon has just finished stacking the last pancake on top of her plate. She turns towards Jihyo, and for the nth time, Jihyo’s heart stops.

 

She lied when she said the lights of the kitchen were the brightest thing she’d ever seen.

 

“Hey you, sleep well?” Jeongyeon hands Jihyo a warm mug of coffee, the latter taking it was grateful eyes.

 

“Better than I usually do.” The coffee warms her chest, opening her eyes a little further. “I think it might be something about your bed.”

 

Jeongyeon’s eyes crinkle, a hearty laugh makes its way through her lips. “Maybe you should stay more often then. Wouldn’t want you missing out on sleep now, would we?”

 

They smile sadly at each other, reminding themselves that they don’t have the chance to do so. Breakfast goes by, the two swapping stories and food as though they’ve been around each other for years.

 

Jihyo wonders why it couldn’t be this easy.

 

“You’re thinking it, aren’t you?” Jeongyeon asks from her spot on the couch. They’d put on Scooby-Doo, after Jihyo had declared she’d only watched one of the movies. Her head lay in Jeongyeon’s lap, the latter playing with her hair as Scooby and the gang unveil another of the villains. Her eyes never leave the screen, and Jihyo almost has to ask her what-ever she means, before Jeongyeon asks again. “Why we can’t just choose who we fall in love with?”

 

“I think about it every day.”

 

The younger girl sits up, and Jeongyeon turns to face her. (Jihyo’s hair is messy, framing her face in the most adorable way possible. Her lips are full, pouting, and Jeongyeon wants to kiss them. She almost does.) “Why does that _machine_ get to choose who my heart falls for. I’ve felt more in these 10 hours than I have in my whole life!” Jeongyeon’s eyes search Jihyo’s and she can’t bring herself to stop the tears before they spill over the edge.

 

“I want it to be you.”

 

“It already is you.” 

 

* * *

 

They were not allowed to do this. When the 12 hours is up, they were meant to separate, rid each other from their lives for good. The moment that clock hits zero, is the moment _they_ end.

 

“I don’t want this to be the end of us. There has to be more. We can’t- we can’t just- they can’t just-“ Jeongyeon grips Jihyo’s hand tighter than she did the first time they’d met. Her fingers are soft, warm, and Jihyo never wants to let go.

 

“Well still be out there.” Jihyo offers, although she knows it doesn’t do much more than fill silence. “Just look up.”

 

Jeongyeon’s eyes crinkle again, and Jihyo doesn’t hesitate this time. She leans in and captures Jeongyeon’s lips with the force of a tsunami. The kiss is messy, it’s raw and passionate and it’s desperate. When they break apart, Jeongyeon leans her forehead against the younger girl’s, closing her eyes.

 

“It could be any two stars.”

 

There’s a vibration in their pockets, and they know their time is up. Letting go of each other, Jeongyeon crosses the road, as Jihyo turns away.

 

A child screams.

 

* * *

 

Jihyo didn’t process it.

 

One second, she was turning away, the next there was a truck barrelling down the road. Jeongyeon’s body was flung. The doctors couldn’t stop the bleeding. Jeongyeon didn’t make it.

 

Jihyo stayed. She stayed until the nurses had left, until the flowers had wilted, until Jeongyeon’s body was wrapped in a white cloth and carried out of the room on a set of rickety wheels.

 

That night, she looks up at the sky. It was barren, except for two lonely stars.

 

She laughs,

 

but this time it doesn’t hurt.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! i'm sorry this isn't the best thing i've ever written, but i just really wanted to write this. i'll work harder on the next pieces!
> 
> twitter: @sapphicmyoui


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